Rowing: New-look four sweep to gold

The heirs to Pinsent and Co took gold at the world rowing championships yesterday, and now have their sights set on Beijing. By Andrew Longmore

FOR MUCH of the season, the British men’s coxless four have consciously deflected comparisons with the past. This is a new era in British rowing, yet victory in the world championships in Japan yesterday marked the seamless transition of the winning habit. For Matthew Pinsent, Ed Coode, James Cracknell and Steve Williams, the gold medal crew from Athens, read Andy Hodge, Alex Partridge, Peter Reed and Williams, who maintained their unbeaten record at the Nagaragawa International and set a long-term course for Beijing.

For Reed, a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy who is in his first year in the senior squad, it was the fulfilment of a dream. “The last 10 strokes were the hardest of my life,” he said. “But standing there with the anthem playing and the Union flag being raised with a gold medal round my neck was very emotional, something I’ve dreamt of since I watched